Jeez louise, this was a ride!

Thanks to netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

4 stars even.

Lemme break it down for you:

PROS:
- Creepy fun! Little chalk stick figures pop up all over a tiny UK town... Who draws them? Dunno. But lots of people are getting hurt....
- Compelling character work. It has a bit of a Stranger Things vibe, with every other chapter following a close-knit gang of kids in the '80s. The grown-up versions of the kids are also pretty real. Consequences, consequences... alcoholism, disability, being stuck in your hometown (even your parents' old houses!)-- very realistic. But not a bummer. Just, like... Oh yeah. Shit'll happen when you experience trauma as a child.

CONS:
- I mean..... things don't all come together as much as you'd like them to. You're left with a lot of holes to fill in yourself. And you can fill them in. But.
- Imma put this behind a spoiler curtain, but you can probably read it without being too spoiled about anything:

Spoiler

Everyone is guilty of something. No one, not even the MC or the victims, is totally innocent. This could be read as realistic.... or fatalistic. Total depravity and all that. I like that everyone has their flaws, but does everyone have to be so full-on?

There's also a Trigger Warning or two I'd like to raise, but I'll put them behind a spoiler curtain... but in case you're sensitive to certain issues and want to be prepared, click away:

Spoiler

TW: dog death, alcoholism, pedophilia, abortion, violence against women (obviously)

Overall, my impression: